ST MALODepartment: Ille-et-Villaine (35)Region: Brittany

The walled town of St Malo is unique in France, and as a result this
ancient port is a great tourist attraction.

During the Middle Ages Saint Malo was a fortified island at the mouth of
the Rance, controlling not only the estuary but the open sea beyond. The
promontory fort of Aleth, south of the modern centre in what is now the
Saint-Servan district, commanded approaches to the Rance even before the
Romans. Modern Saint-Malo traces its origins to a monastic settlement founded
by Saint Aaron and Saint Brendan early in the 6th century. Its name is derived
from a man said to have been a follower of Brendan, Saint Malo or Maclou.

Everyone should spend time in the Old Town and on the Ramparts, walking
round the top of the ramparts in 2 hours or so. Another 2-3 hours will be
needed to explore the rest of the town, which is well geared to providing for
tourists.

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getting there

Saint-Malo is a terminal for ferry services to Poole, Portsmouth and Weymouth
in England via the Channel Islands. It also has a railway station, Gare de
Saint-Malo, offering direct TGV service to Rennes, Paris and several regional
destinations.